Lions golfer Wisniewski heads to Australia

Thursday

May 10, 2018 at 10:05 PMMay 10, 2018 at 10:50 PM

Lions golfer Wisniewski heads to Australia

Matt Goisman @MattGoismanCCT

St. John Paul II sophomore golfer Jack Wisniewski has been selected to play in the Down Under International Cup tournament in Brisbane, Australia, in July. Wisniewski will compete in an 18-hole All-American Tournament and the 36-hole International Cup during the event, which will run from July 5-14 and is organized by Down Under Sports, which also hosts tournaments in basketball, cross country, football, volleyball and track and field.

“I’ve been looking forward to it ever since I put the deposit down and accepted the invitation,” he said. “I haven’t left the country (before).”

Cape Sports Now: Listen to Matt and Steve break down the week in local sports and look ahead

Wisniewski said he received his invitation letter two months ago, but more recently began fundraising efforts to help pay the $5,000 cost of the trip. He also will soon begin a part-time job.

“The letter pretty much specified that they were collecting some of the better players from around the country,” Wisniewski said. “They’re not looking for necessarily the world’s greatest players, but more so players with good grades and players that are kind of looked up to in their communities.”

Wisniewski is an honor roll student as well as a varsity golfer at SJP II.

FALCONS RUN 5K: Mashpee baseball coach Dan Patenaude gave his seniors two options this past Sunday. The Falcons could either hold a normal practice, as they were scheduled to do, or they could take part in the Lovin’ LIFE 5K, a race organized by LIFE, Inc., which provides housing, job training and other opportunities to those with intellectual or developmental disabilities at its campuses in Mashpee, Hyannis and Plymouth.

The seniors opted for the race, and a total of 16 of the 23 on the roster ended up participating.

“It was very gratifying, but not surprising. I have great kids,” Patenaude said. “It’s an extremely local organization, right down the road from the school. My assistant coach is very good friends with one of the members of the board, and he suggested that we get teams involved, so we figured, ‘why not us?’”

Will Baker turned in the fastest time among his teammates, placing eighth in 22 minutes, 31 seconds. Luke Anderson, a 22-year-old at Riverview School in Sandwich, won in 18:26, while Gretchen Swarr, a 33-year-old from Sandwich, won the women’s race in 22:17.

As it turned out, the Falcons wound up doing some baseball activities that morning as well.

“I said, ‘You guys can come and hit if you want after voluntarily,’ and all 16 came to the school,” Patenaude. “They ran, and they all hit.”

BOURNE’S GORDON JOINS COLBY: Bourne senior captain and offensive lineman Louis Gordon was announced as part of the 2018 recruiting class for Colby College, an NCAA Division III program in Maine, late last week. Gordon started at guard for the Canalmen this past fall, was the team’s center and a South Coast Conference all-star as a junior in 2016 and was used principally as a wide receiver and tight end as a sophomore.

“As he matured, he started to gain weight and gain muscle weight and muscle size, so unselfishly he moved,” said Bourne coach John McIntyre. “Fun kid to coach. Just a tough, hard-nosed, physical, no excuse type of kid.”

McIntyre said Colby recruited Gordon on his film and conversations between McIntyre and offensive line coach Matt Dugan, who’s also the Mules’ recruiting coordinator.

“Louie is a very, very bright kid,” McIntyre said. “Once they saw him on film and got a look at his academics, he was a very good fit.”

EARLEY’S TALLY: Falmouth Academy senior Jane Earley’s five goals against Nantucket on Thursday brought her career total to 416. She’s now tied with Sydney Holman, who scored 416 from 2010-13 with East Chapel Hill in North Carolina, for eighth on the National Federation of State High School Associations’ list of girls lacrosse career scorers in U.S. history.

Shannon Smith, from New York, is in seventh with 428 career goals. The Mariners are at Fairhaven on Monday.

TENNIS TOURNAMENT: The first weekend of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association’s individual state tennis tournament begins Saturday. Local boys tennis players will begin their run through the South Sectional tournament at UMass Dartmouth, while girls will head to Old Rochester in Mattapoisett.

Singles players and doubles teams that advance will return to the tournament May 19-20. Following conclusion of the team playoffs, the state semifinals and finals will take place June 16 at St. John’s School in Shrewsbury.

Martha’s Vineyard doubles team Lizzie Williamson and Victoria Scott have won the last two individual titles. The two are undefeated as a team but have yet to play together this spring.

PALERMO GOES FOR 300TH: Mashpee senior Tara Palermo is one goal away from her 300th career girls lacrosse goal. The Falcons host East Bridgewater today.

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